Crane named in England Test squad for tour of New Zealand

Mason Crane has been named in England’s 16-man Test squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

The 20-year-old leg spinner, who is a former Thomas A Becket and Lancing College pupil, was handed his England debut in the fifth and final Ashes Test earlier this month.

It proved to be a testing welcome to the elite for Crane, who finished with figures of 1-193 as England lost by an innings and 123 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Crane’s first scalp in the Test arena was Usman Khawaja and all-time Test leading wicket taker Shane Warne was impressed by his entrance .

Following Crane's debut, Warne said: “His action is nicely balanced, there is nice momentum and he explodes through the crease which is good. He’s very aggressive. He is feisty, looks to get into the batsman’s space. He won’t back down from the challenge."

The first game on the Blacks Caps tour will be a day-night Test which starts in Auckland on March 22. England’s two-game series then concludes in Christchurch on March 30.